By Michelle Gifford
Dust filled the air of the fifth floor of the library, setting off the fire alarms and sending students out the library doors.
So far, the fire alarm being set off twice has been the only problem during the renovation of the fifth floor of the Harold B Lee Library, said Justin Stewart, construction director at the library.
The floor is closed during the summer months for renovation.
?Every once in a while we try to make sure that the library is in its best condition,? said Mike Hooper, library communications director.
The old fifth floor ceiling has not been replaced since the library addition was built in 1974. The new ceiling will be safer and will be a better place for students, said Stewart.
?The old ceiling had tiles drop on occasion,? Stewart said. ?It didn?t look very nice. It really is going to beautify the library. It will just be a better place to study.?
Students and teachers cannot personally access the books in the fifth floor. Although patrons will not be able to physically pick up their books, they are still able to utilize the books in the facility.
The library has employed a paging system that allows patrons to request books located on the fifth floor. Library workers fulfill the requests at 5:00 every afternoon and have the books ready to be checked out the next day.
?The system has been doing very well,? Hooper said. ?The students and faculty have to be patient and so far they have.?
Not only is the library building going under construction, so are its hours. During the Spring Term reading days and finals, library hours will be extended. The library will be open from 7a.m. to midnight from June 6 to June 15.
